1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a terminal of an insulation displacement connector, and more particularly, to a terminal utilized in a network interface device located between the telephone company network and the customer's equipment
2. Description of the Background Art
Insulation displacement connectors are known in the art for interconnecting a wire to a terminal of a network interface device without first manually stripping the insulation from the wire to expose the conductor. For example, Applicant's prior U.S. Pat. No. 5,004,433 shows an insulation displacement connector having a terminal housed within a protective cap. A wire is first inserted through a hole in the cap. The cap is then displaced downwardly so that the wire is forced between a pair of blades on the upper part of the terminal. The blades cut through the insulation surrounding the conductor, and the wire is secured between a pair of tines of the terminal.
Typically the terminal of an insulation displacement connector is installed into the housing by pressing the terminal upwardly through a slot in the housing, with the upper end of the terminal having the tines passing through the slot first In other words, the direction of insertion of the terminal into the housing is opposite to the direction of the forces applied to the terminal during normal use of the connector.
The downward force necessary to force the wire between the blades and tines on an insulation displacement connector is quite large. -As a result the downward force applied to the terminal tends to force the terminal downwardly out of its surrounding housing. Once the terminal is no longer properly positioned within the housing, a wire will not be able to pass between the blades and be secured to the tines. Thus, the connector becomes no longer useful.
There is a need in the art for a terminal which can be installed into a housing in the same direction as the direction of the forces applied to the terminal during normal use of the insulation displacement connector, so that the terminal will remain properly positioned within the housing when a wire is forced onto the terminal.